The Living Dead
by Dr. Huff-Puff
Summary: Harry and Snape are sent together on a mission to Azkaban. Their supposedly oneday mission gets an unexpected turn.
1. The Mission

**Title: **The Living Dead  
**Rating: **PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre: **Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings: **Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 1 summary: **Harry Potter and Severus Snape are sent on a mission to Azkaban.  
**Disclaimer: **HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

* * *

**The Living Dead  
Chapter I - The mission  
**

Harry woke up early in the morning and the first thing he did was taking Hedwig out of her cage.

"Now that I'll be leaving, I don't think that you'll be needing to stay in a cage anymore." He said as he stroked her white feathers.

Hedwig nibbled at his finger and hooted softly, as to tell him that she was going to miss him while he was gone. Harry understood.

"I'll miss you too." He sighed. "Maybe if I get back alive, you can come and find me... wherever I might be at the time."

He opened the window of his room and let Hedwig out. She flew around the house and returned back into the room.

"No Hedwig. Go. You're free now. Go wherever you want. Hogwarts, the Burrow," he shrugged. "I don't know." He patted her white feathers. "Go wherever your heart desires, this is the least I could do for you."

As if she understood every word he said, Hedwig flew out of the window and after flying around the house for a couple of minutes, Harry saw her fly away. From the direction she was taking, he knew where she was heading.

"The Burrow. Good choice." He said, mostly to himself.

An hour passed and Harry had already packed his backpack. The new mission he was given by the ministry was not one that he would've chosen. But since the Ministry has assigned him that mission and he was supposed to be getting information from former Death Eaters, he agreed. He wasn't sure if he was going to stay alive or not, which made him decide to set Hedwig free. At least until he returned.

The place he was going to wasn't a pleasant one. Although he hasn't been there, but Harry has heard a lot about Azkaban, the wizard prison. He knew that it was guarded by the Dementors, who lived by feeding on the prisoners' souls. He was hoping the Dementors won't approach him while he was there. But despite that, there was one thing that he hated about this mission. His partner was the person he loathed most.

Severus Snape.

Snape tapped on the desk in front of him impatiently as he waited for his companion to join him in order for them to start their trip. He had never gotten over the fact that he hated Potter more than he hated his miserable life as a former Potions Master at Hogwarts. As much as he loathed the position, he still missed the dungeons that kept him safe and isolated from the crucial world he was now forced to live in.

"Damn it." Snape hissed. "Late. As always."

He stood up and paced the room back and forth. He looked at the clock hanging from the wall. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. Potter was late.

"What's keeping him so long?" he asked an auror who was sitting at the other side of the desk.

The auror shrugged and continued reading a newspaper.

Snape kept pacing the room nervously. This mission meant a lot to him. It was going to be his last mission for the Ministry of Magic. He was going to be set free from the nightmares that kept haunting him every night. Being a Death Eater wasn't an easy task. Being a double-spy wasn't any easier.

The current Minister of Magic, Roland Smith made an agreement with Severus Snape. He was to accompany Harry Potter to an investigating mission to Azkaban, and must gain as much information about the hiding place of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as they could. The plan was to get Harry as close as possible from the hideout and let him deal with the Dark Lord. Snape knew there was a nil chance to get any valuable information from the prisoners there. Considering they were now more like food for Dementors, but he agreed. If they could get any information, and if Harry succeeded in defeating the Dark Lord, Severus Snape was to gain full pardon from the Ministry (they have never gotten over the fact that he killed Dumbledore because that was Dumbledore's plan), and was to be given back his position at Hogwarts as the Potions Master.

"_With the Dark Lord gone, your bond to him will be broken. And you'll be free."_

Snape considered the words he heard from the Minister. It was what he wanted for most of his life. To be freed from being a Death Eater and with that he'd be free from being a double agent.

A knock on the door caught Snape's attention. He stared at the door with eyes that shot arrows of rage. He was fighting with himself, trying to keep his rage inside of him. But the first sight of Harry walking into the room was enough to pull the trigger.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, POTTER!" he bellowed.

"Wha...? I..." Harry was caught off guard. He wasn't expecting this kind of a welcome. Not from this room anyway.

"You were supposed to be here an hour ago!" Snape said, finally controlling himself.

"Sorry, Sir. Got caught up with traffic." Harry's lame excuse came out.

"Using muggle transport, are we, Potter?" said the auror who was also present in the room.

"Kinda... you can say that." Harry shrugged.

Snape muttered some curses under his nose as he picked up a small pouch and tied it to his belt. Then he picked up his black robes and put them on.

'Old habits never change' Harry thought, while he looked at Snape from head to toe. 'Still wearing the same old cloak. Greasy old git. I would feed you to the Dementors if I could.'

"Let's go. We're already an hour late, and that is not going to look good on your resume, Potter."

Harry just nodded. He couldn't understand the urgency Snape had. He didn't dare to question the former Potions Master, in case he made the man angrier than he already is.

Not that he didn't want to.

He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and waved a 'goodbye' at the auror and left. Snape was ahead of him, his black robes bellowing behind him gracefully. Harry had to speed up a bit in order to catch up with Snape.

"So, umm.. Professor?"

"What is it that your pathetic excuse of a brain wants to know this time?" Snape asked in reply.

Harry decided to ignore the insult. "How are we going to get there?" he asked.

"Heard of portkeys?"

"Yep."

"Those." Snape's answer was short and to the point. Normally he would've liked to ignore the question and insult Harry on a higher level, but something kept him from doing that.

They reached the end of the corridor and Snape entered an office. Harry, naturally, followed him in. Harry recognized the room as the portkey registry. The room looked larger than Harry could've thought. There was only one desk, with a young witch sitting behind it, and the rest of the room was full of different objects stacked on shelves. Snape was talking to the young witch who was filling a form. After a couple of minutes, Snape signed the papers and the witch handed him a broom. He turned to Harry and shoved the broom into his arms.

"To the transportation room." Snape said as he walked out of the registry office.

"The what?" Harry asked and followed.

"Honestly, Potter. Have you been sleeping on duty?" Snape snorted.

Harry let out a silent growl. "I've never heard of a transportation room."

"It's new. The Minister has decided to put wards around the Ministry to protect it from sudden appearances of Death Eaters, and he has a special room dedicated to transportation."

"How impressive and stupid at the same time." Harry said and followed Snape to the other end of the corridor, where the transportation room was located.

"I couldn't agree more." Snape mumbled under his nose and entered the room.

"I mean, if word gets out that the Ministry has special rooms for transportation, then the entrance would be much easier for any Death Eater who wishes to get in! I mean, I would've concentrated on apparating in a 'transportation room at the Ministry of Magic' without caring which department I'd end up in. As long as I'm inside, I can get to my goal." Harry talked, mostly to himself.

Snape suddenly turned to Harry, which made Harry stop abruptly and bump into Snape, dropping the broom from his hands and falling back.

"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Snape said and summoned the broom without extending a helping hand for Harry to get up.

"I can get up myself, thank you." Harry muttered and got up on his feet.

Snape put the broom on a table that was put in one of the corners of the room and took out his wand. He pointed it at the broom and said 'Portus!' clear enough to make chills run through Harry's spine. For a second Harry wondered what happened, but shrugged it off his mind.

"We don't have all day Potter!" Snape said, obviously irritated by Harry's presence. "Take hold of the broomstick."

Harry touched the broom and watched as Snape held the broom with one hand and brought his wand closer with the other. As soon as the wand tip touched the broom, Harry felt a familiar tug at his stomach and the room started spinning around him.

A moment later they both landed in front of the gates of the Azkaban prison.


	2. Azkaban

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 2 summary:** Harry gets to be in Azkaban for the first time in his life. But his plans on staying take an unexpected turn.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

* * *

**The Living Dead**

**Chapter II - Azkaban  
**

Harry felt like he was going to be sick. The island was cold and the area around the castle looked deserted. Harry quickly cast a warming charm on him and looked around, only to find Snape standing not too far from him, looking at the castle in fascination. Harry turned to look at the castle standing in front of them. All he could see was a ruined wall with little black windows that didn't even have glass.

'Those must be the cells.' Harry thought to himself.

Harry started feeling gloomy. His vision was becoming blurry and his ears were starting to ring when he heard Snape's voice from a distance.

"Do you have your auror badge on you?"

Harry shook his head and took out his auror badge from his pocket and put it on his shirt. His vision became clear again and the ringing noises disappeared.

"What was that?" He asked.

"They know we're here." Snape replied.

"No, I mean.. I felt their presence, but after putting the badge on, it disappeared." Harry asked.

"And you call yourself an auror." Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. "Those badges are charmed to let the Dementors sense aurors, since they can't see. And since they and the aurors are considered Ministry employees, they do not harm them."

"Oh." Harry said and looked at the gates.

The gates creaked and opened slowly, revealing a dark entrance to the castle grounds. Harry and Snape walked in and passed the Dementor that was standing aside near the entrance.

They heard the gates close as slowly as they opened and the loud clunk indicated that they were locked in.

The Dementor glided in front of them, leading them inside the castle. Harry noticed that Snape had his wand out, so he took out his own. He wasn't sure why did they have their wands out, since they were on Ministry property after all. And all the criminals were locked in cells. Not that they were able to do anything in or outside those cells anyway. But he kept his wand at the ready, remembering that no one can fully trust a Dementor.

The castle doors opened and they walked in. Harry looked around and surveyed his surroundings. It was empty. The whole place looked deserted. He thanked whoever was responsible for having a dim light around the place. Which, obviously, wasn't enough for Snape.

"Lumos!" Snape said and started walking to the staircase. "Stay close, Potter. You don't want to get lost in this place. That badge won't work forever, you know."

Harry quickly followed Snape and they reached the second level of the castle.

"This is where they keep minor criminals." Snape said as he walked through the stone corridor.

"Minor criminals?" Harry asked.

"Thieves and law breakers." Snape replied. "Next are the murderers, and then Death Eaters."

Harry felt a chill pass behind his neck. He turned around only to see a Dementor opening a cell door and entering. The shriek of the prisoner inside the cell made Harry shudder.

"You'll hear a lot of that while we're here." Snape said in a cold tone.

"Kinda figured that out." Harry replied.

The lack of communication between them was disturbing Harry. He didn't like his former Potions Master, but he desperately needed to talk at this moment to keep his mind away from the shrieks and moans of the prisoners.

They reached the Death Eater cells. Snape was looking through the little windows on the doors, as if he was looking for a certain Death Eater.

When he finally stopped in front of a cell he took a deep breath and opened the door. He walked in and Harry followed.

The scene in front of them wasn't a pleasant one. Harry stood there in a shock. Draco Malfoy was crouching in a corner. His eyes were wide open and he was shaking.

Snape looked at Draco for a moment, and Harry could notice a change in Snape's face. He looked sad. Harry had never seen Snape in this way. He looked like he was disappointed and broken at the same time.

Harry looked at Draco and saw his school days rival and enemy in his worst state of being. He knew that Draco can't see or hear them, because of the six years he's been in Azkaban.

Snape walked toward Draco and knelt next to him.

"Draco?" Snape said in a soft tone that surprised Harry. "Draco can you hear me?"

Draco turned to look at Snape. But his stare was blank. A moment later he tilted his head to side and his shaking stopped.

"Father?" Draco said in a rough voice and put his head on Snape's chest.

Snape sighed and stroked Draco's long blonde hair that has turned almost grey because of the dirt for the last six years.

Harry stood there, observing the scene in front of him. He didn't dare to make a noise. It has never occurred to him that he'd be seeing his former classmate in this state.

"I'm sorry, father." Draco suddenly spoke. "I didn't mean to let you down."

"Shhh" Snape said and continued stroking Draco's hair. "What have they done to you." He added in a whisper.

Suddenly, Draco pulled back and looked at Snape.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he said and went back to his corner and started rocking back and forth. "I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to kill you. Please forgive me. Please tell Professor Snape to forgive me. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to hurt him. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Tears were flowing down Draco's cheeks. Snape hang his head down and sighed. He reached for Draco's hand and held it for a moment, then got up and turned to leave. He stopped for a moment to look at Harry.

"None of this to anyone." He said. Harry nodded and they both walked out of the cell.

Harry could hear Draco's sobs that turned into moans a bit later. All he wanted now was to get out of this place as soon as he could.

When they were far enough from Draco's cell, they stopped again. This time Snape took a little bottle out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.

"Drink this." He said.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Something to make you relax. You're pale and you're shaking."

Without a protest, Harry took the bottle and emptied its content into his throat. He flinched at the taste, but soon he felt his muscles relax. He took a deep breath and thanked Snape for the potion.

Snape looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. "It's almost sunset. We should get this done quickly. I don't want to have to spend a night here."

Harry nodded. "Where do we start?"

"I'll start from this end," Snape pointed at the direction where they came from. "And you go to the opposite side." He pointed at the other end of the corridor. "You have the list of needed Death Eaters?"

"Yes." Harry said and took out a piece of parchment out of his pocket.

"Good. Now go. We don't have much time." Snape said. "Thanks to you." He added in a lower tone.

Each of them went to his side of the corridor and they started looking for the Death Eaters they were here for. Harry shuddered as a Dementor glided past him, but he continued looking for those on his list. He entered the cell, questioned those who were sane enough to be able to answer and got out. Snape on the other hand, spent a bit longer time in each cell. He performed Legilimency on each Death Eater on his list. Considering it a faster and more effective way to obtain the information they needed.

Harry and Snape met at the middle of the corridor after finishing their 'interviews'.

"I'm done." Harry said.

"How impressive, Potter. If you were a student, I would've awarded your house five points." Snape said with a smirk.

"Alas, I'm not a student anymore." Harry replied.

Snape rolled his eyes and lit his wand tip to check the time.

"It's past midnight." He said. "I knew we were going to be late." He glared at Harry, who shrugged in return.

"I didn't mean to be late, okay?" Harry said. "It just happened. I needed to set Hedwig free before coming."

Snape raised his eyebrow.

"What? I didn't know these badges were charmed to repel the Dementor effect! So I didn't know if I was going back or not." Harry said. "Not that anyone would care." He added under his breath and looked aside.

"We need to get to the roof." Snape said. "So we'd apparate out of here first thing in the morning."

"Can't we stay in one of the cells?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you can." Said a familiar voice.

Harry and Snape turned to the source of the voice and saw Lucius Malfoy standing in the corridor, looking his best. The army of Dementors behind him told Snape that this is not how he expected things to go.

Lucius grinned mischievously. "Attack my friends." He waved at the Dementors behind him and they started gliding quickly towards Snape and Harry.

Snape cursed loudly and tugged at Harry's shirt. "RUN" he yelled and they both started running through the corridor, not even knowing where it'd lead them, or whether there were any more Dementors waiting for them on the other side.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled and his wand shone bright as his patronus appeared. The stag started attacking the Dementors one after another. Harry heard Snape casting a Patronus Charm as well. But he couldn't see the patronus anywhere.

He turned around only to see an unconscious Snape on the floor.

"Professor!" he ran to Snape's aid, but suddenly everything turned pitch black in front of him as a wave of red sparks hit him in the chest.

The pain was unbearable. Harry kept squirming as Bellatrix Lestrange came into view, sending waves of 'Crucio!' one after another at Harry. He was fighting it with all his strength. But one last curse sent Harry five feet away from where he was and hit his head at the wall, which made him lose consciousness.


	3. Waking Up

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 3 summary:** Death Eaters celebrate their victory while Harry and Snape are locked in a dark cell.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

**A/N:** As you may have noticed, Snape is off-character in my stories. I'm going to keep that pattern, because, well, I'm not that good in writing snarky-mean-evil Snape. I hope that gets your approval. And thanks for the reviews!

**

* * *

****The Living Dead  
****Chapter III – Waking Up  
**

Nothing could've been more victorious for Death Eaters than to capture Harry Potter. Bellatrix Lestrange was sitting in Lucius' lap drinking fire whiskey and laughing loudly. Lucius didn't mind having his brunette sister-in-law in his lap, nor did he care about Narcissa finding out about her husband's little affair with her sister. He was more concerned about having a nice celebration of victory and getting the Dark Lord's approval afterwards.

Bellatrix put her glass aside and cupped Lucius' face. She licked his lips and smiled at him seductively. Without any word, Lucius gracefully got up from his feet, carrying Bellatrix in his arms and before he attempted to leave he turned to his companions.

"Gentlemen, enjoy yourselves. My sister-in-law and I have some unattended business to take care of." Lucius said and turned his full attention to Bellatrix and winked.

He walked out of the cell that was used for the celebration and went into another one, a bit further than the previous.

"Ah, finally we get some privacy." Lucius said as he put Bellatrix down.

"Too bad they are valuable for us at this moment. I would love to get rid of them." Bellatrix said and put her arms around Lucius' torso. "Then we would have all the privacy we need."

Lucius only grinned before he put his hand behind her neck and grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her face close to him. Bellatrix let out a gasp and only licked her lips as she smiled. Lucius didn't waste another moment and claimed what he thought was rightfully his.

* * *

Not too far from the occupied cell-rooms, a disheveled Severus Snape opened his eyes and a wave of panic hit him as he realized he was tied. A moment later, he remembered where he was, tried to calm himself. But he failed as he heard the familiar voices of Death Eaters passing by. He closed his eyes, pretending to be still unconscious. When he was sure that they were gone, he kept his eyes shut and concentrated. The ropes tying his wrists and ankles were loosening and he could free his hands and feet. Then he took off the cloth wrapped around his mouth and threw it aside.

"Bloody hell.." he cursed under his breath.

The room was dark, save for the little light from a little hole, which he assumed to be the food window. He walked to the source of the light and felt each muscle in his body ache. He tried to ignore it and came closer to the hole. He knelt and peeked out. There was no one to be seen. But there was a lot of noise. The prisoners seemed to be celebrating, but Snape failed to figure out the cause. Then he decided to get back to the spot he was lying at a moment ago, and stumbled across something, or someone. Snape quickly stopped himself from landing square-faced into the floor and knelt down again. This time, he examined the floor with his hands, touching the cold stones until he found what caused him to fall. It was a body.

He pulled the body closer to the light in order to recognize the person, since he felt breathing.

"Potter!" he called in a whisper. Not wanting to attract Death Eaters. "Bloody hell, Potter wake up!" He shook Harry's body, and kept calling his name. But Harry didn't respond.

Snape cursed again and looked around, remembering that it was pitching dark in the room. After one more curse he waved his hand and little candles appeared in the air, which gave the room a dim light.

He pulled Harry's head up and put it on his lap as he knelt next to him. He tried to wake him up, but to no success. Harry was still unconscious.

"What have they done to you.." he said with clenched teeth. Then he got up, carrying Harry's almost lifeless body in his arms and put him on a bed in one of the corners of the room. He noticed Harry's glasses on the floor, broken. He picked them up and muttered 'Oculus Reparo' and put them next to Harry's head on the bed. Then he took off his robes and was about to pull it over Harry when he noticed Harry's shirt. The Auror badge wasn't there. Without further thinking, Snape took off his own badge and put it on Harry's shirt.

The whole room seemed to spin around him now. He felt cold and lonely. He tried to shake the screams he heard out of his head and continued taking care of Harry. He pulled his robes on Harry, and managed to pull a dirty bed cover on him as well. When he was sure his former student was covered enough to feel warmth, he collapsed with a sigh.

Half an hour later, Harry woke up feeling sore. His muscles were tired and hurting because of the Cruciatus Curse. He opened his eyes everything was blurry. Instinctively, he ran his hand around his head, looking for his glasses. When he found them, he put them on and his vision became clear. His eyes widened in horror when he realized he was in one of the Azkaban cells and sat up.

"Ow.." he flinched and put his palm on the back of his head. He could feel a bump forming there.

He looked around and was about to get off the bed when he noticed Snape lying on the stony floor.

"Shit." Harry cursed and got off the bed, ignoring his aching muscles. He knelt next to Snape and tried to wake him up.

"Professor? Can you hear me?" Harry said as he shook his former teacher. "Professor Snape?"

Harry froze for a moment. Snape was cold as ice, but he could see his chest rising and falling. Harry turned to the bed he was lying on a moment ago, and saw a rag which must've been an old bed cover and black robes. He looked at Snape and noticed that his robes were missing. Harry pulled the robes off the bed and put it over Snape. He took Snape's hand in his and started rubbing it.

"Damn it, Snape! Wake up!" Harry said, louder than he intended to. He hoped that the Death Eaters didn't hear him.

He didn't know what to do next. He couldn't revive Snape, and his wand was no where around him. He gently put Snape's cold hand on the floor and sighed. He knew something would happen. He didn't like this mission from the moment he had received the assignment.

He needed to call for help. But he knew the castle was full of Dementors and Death Eaters. He thought of sending a message with his Patronus, but he didn't have his wand with him. He didn't know how long they've been there, so he couldn't be sure if the people at the Ministry would notice that they have been late.

A cough from Snape alerted Harry and he directed his attention to his teacher.

"Professor?" Harry said in a low voice and put his hand under Snape's head and lifted him up a bit. "Professor, can you hear me?"

"C-c-cold." Snape managed to say. He was shaking. With his free hand, Harry pulled the dirty blanket from the bed and wrapped it around Snape.

"It'll be all right, Sir. Just hang on there." Harry said. He wondered what was causing Snape to feel so cold. It was warm in the room, and he was sure there were no windows to let any wind inside.

Snape didn't stop shaking. So, Harry sat on the floor, he leaned his back to the bed and pulled Snape closer. He held him in his arms to keep him warm with his body temperature.

"Just.. don't die. Please." Harry whispered. He cursed himself for not being able to do wandless magic and wished he paid more attention to classes during school. He could've gotten them out of here if he had mastered wandless magic.

At that moment, an idea struck him. He remembered wearing the badge, which kept the Dementor effect away. He checked to see if Snape still had his badge on, but he couldn't find it. Harry looked at his badge and saw that the writing on it was different. Instead of 'Auror' the little golden letters said 'Under Probation'.

"Curse you Snape!" Harry said in frustration. "You perfectly know I can't do wandless magic. And none of our wands are here. Yet you took off your badge and put it on me.. you.." he paused for a moment. Did Snape take of his badge to save his life? "You.. you were saving my life." Harry said and looked down at the cold body he was holding. Snape coughed again. This time he moved a bit, but Harry held him tighter.

"Don't move." He whispered in Snape's ear. "You're cold as ice. Don't move. I'm trying to keep you warm here."

"M-memories.." Snape said in a whisper. "Pain.. c-cold.. d-dark.."

Harry knew what to do. If they were to get out of here, then they needed magic. And since they don't have their wands, then it'll have to be wandless, and only Snape was good at it. So, he took off the badge and quickly put it on Snape's shirt. He noticed the color coming back to Snape's skin and he could feel him becoming warm again. Only this time, he started feeling cold. He could hear his mother's scream from a distant. He shook his head, reminding himself that it's only the effect of having too many Dementors around the place. He kept holding on to Snape and buried his face into Snape's shoulder, shutting his eyes tightly. The screams never stopped. They were becoming louder and the room was getting colder by the second.

"Bloody hell, Snape. Wake up already!" Harry said while he kept his face buried on Snape's shoulder.

A few minutes later, Snape let out a gasp and opened his eyes. He felt something soft behind his back and a mess of hair on the side of his face. He turned his head and saw it was Harry. He quickly got up which made Harry lift his head up and look at him with tired eyes.

"You're awake." Harry said with a weak voice. "Good." He took a deep breath. "You'll get us out of here."

"What have you done, Potter!" Snape hissed, and knelt in front of Harry. He noticed that the badge was missing. He put his hand on his shirt and felt the badge on his shirt. "You're not supposed to die!"

"No, but I can't get us out of here." Harry smiled weakly and the put his hands on his ears and shut his eyes tightly. "Make it stop! Please! Don't let him hurt her!" he yelled.

"Potter! Potter answer me!" Snape held Harry by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Potter, it's not real. Think about happier moments. Don't let the voices get to you. They are not real."

Harry didn't seem to hear what Snape said. He curled on the floor and started crying. "Don't hurt her!" he yelled. "Make it stop! Mum! NO!"

Snape cursed and ran to the little hole on the door. If Harry's badge was anywhere close, he could summon it. He put his ear close to the hole and tried to listen if there were any footsteps around. When he couldn't hear anything but moans and groans from the other cells he put his hand close to the hole and called for the badge.

"Accio Auror badge!"

A moment later, he felt a small metal land into his palm. He looked at it and saw it was the badge. He quickly got up and put it on Harry's shirt.

Harry was still crying and shaking. Snape didn't know what else to do, so he did something he never expected himself to do. He took Harry in his arms and started calming him. He might have to alter the boy's memory when they get out.

"It's all right. It's all fake." Snape said as he rubbed Harry's back while he held him. "It'll be gone in a moment."

A few minutes later, Harry's sobs faded and his body stopped shaking. He was breathing quickly, gasping for air. He curled in Snape's arms and held on to him tightly. A moment later, he sat up, turned his back at Snape and took off his glasses and wiped his eyes with his sleeves. When he was done, he put his glasses back on and looked at the floor. The memories were so real. He could see his mother screaming for help. He has re-lived her death once again. Then he took a deep breath and turned around to face Snape, who was sitting there, looking at him with new look on his face. Harry was surprised. He had never seen Snape like that. The eyes that were full of hatred were showing care and affection. They looked at each other's eyes for a while. None of them daring to talk.

"Are you all right?" Snape was the first to break the silence.

Harry nodded. "Thanks." He said. He wanted to smile, but he couldn't. "For saving my life." He added. He didn't want to look so vulnerable in front of Snape, but he couldn't help it.

"Just doing my unfortunate job." Snape said. The stony look was back, Harry noticed.

"Any idea how to get out of here?" Harry asked.

"Not a clue." Snape said and got up. "The door is locked. Probably warded." He walked to the door and ran his hand on the cold surface. "Definitely warded."

"Well, can't you remove the wards?" Harry asked.

"Shut up, Potter." Snape hissed. "Someone's coming."

At that moment, the door to the cell room opened and Lucius Malfoy came into view.

"Incarcerous!"

Harry and Snape felt ropes being tied around them and they both cursed loudly.


	4. Voldemort

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 4 summary:** As Voldemort meets with the prisoners, Snape decides to say something that might save him and Harry.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

* * *

**The Living Dead  
****Chapter IV - Voldemort**

"Looks like our favorite couple has finally woke up!" Said Lucius with an evil smirk on his face. "I guess morning is the best time for you two to join the celebrations."

"Lucius, wha-" Snape started talking but Lucius cut him off.

"Shut up, you traitor!" Lucius said with gritted teeth.

The look on Snape's face was not one of fear or anger. It was blank. All expressions were gone from his face as he stared into Lucius' eyes. Who was he to call him traitor?

"I am no traitor, Lucius, and you know it!" Snape said. It was almost a hiss.

"Not a traitor, are you?" Lucius took a step closer to Snape. "Let's see if this refreshes your memory."

Lucius put his wand on his temple and a shimmering white string came out. He was extracting a memory, then he put the tip of his wand on Snape's temple and the memory entered Snape's head.

A moment later, Snape's eyes widened in shock.

"See, my traitor friend?" Lucius said. "Too bad that the Dark Lord wants both of you alive and intact. Or I would've taken off those badges right away."

"How come you're not affected by the Dementors?" Harry asked.

Lucius shot him a look full of hatred. Then he grinned. "Sure you realize that the Dark Lord is highly fond of Dark Magic, Mister Potter." Lucius said. "I'll tell you a bit of the details. There's a potion that has the exact effect of those badges you're wearing. The blood of a traitor is the key ingredient for this potion to work. Extracted straight from their liver."

Harry froze. He looked at Snape who looked pale and obviously shocked.

"Whom?" Snape asked, almost whispering.

Lucius' grin faded from his face. He adjusted his cape and held his cane tightly. Harry could see Lucius' knuckles turn white.

"Who was it, Lucius?" Snape asked, a little louder.

"One of your old students." Lucius replied. His face expressionless.

Snape gasped. "Draco." He whispered. "You took blood from your own son to make a potion for everyone but himself!" He yelled.

"Don't," Lucius stepped closer to Snape and held his wand at his throat. "Raise your voice at me." He pressed hard at Snape's throat. "Traitor!"

A Death Eater came running and whispered something in Lucius' ear. Lucius smirked.

"Well, looks like the Dark Lord has arrived." He said, "We are going to pay him a visit." He turned to the Death Eater. "Bring them along." He said and walked out of the room, heading to where Voldemort was waiting.

As they reached the end of the corridor, they headed to the staircase and went down. Harry could feel his scar itching, and he couldn't scratch it because his hands were tied. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, they went into a room that was large enough to be a ball room. It was round and empty. There were only two chairs in the middle, and several Death Eaters were gathered there, surrounding the chairs. When Lucius entered the room, followed by Harry and Snape and the other Death Eater, the crowd split in two, making way for them to pass. They walked in, led by Lucius and they reached where the chairs were. Voldemort was standing there, in front of the chairs. He looked at the prisoners with a wicked grin on his bony face. Harry's scar started throbbing and he could feel it burning as they got closer.

When they were finally there, the Death Eater pushed Harry and Snape into the chairs and they sat down, and none of them tried to protest. Harry was sweating now. His scar was hurting and he couldn't do anything about it. Snape looked at Harry and noticed him flinch at the pain. He kept staring at Harry, hoping he'd look back.

'Look at me, Potter!' Snape said in his mind. He was trying to get Harry's attention to give him some instructions before Voldemort could do or say anything. But it was too late.

"Well, well." Voldemort said. "I see you've brought me a present, Lucius."

Lucius bowed, "I only serve to please you, my Lord." He said, without lifting his head.

"Well done, Lucius." Voldemort replied. "You shall be awarded generously as soon as we finish our little chat with our guests."

"My Lord is always thoughtful." Lucius said, still bowing.

"You may rise, Lucius." Voldemort said. "Now," he turned his attention to Harry and Snape. "I see that our guests are a bit uncomfortable in their seats." He smirked. "Well, I think that's a good thing."

Severus kept looking at Harry, trying desperately to catch Harry's eyes. But Harry had his eyes shut tightly because of the pain his scar was causing.

"Severus, Severus." Voldemort said, and Snape finally turned to look at him. "I've heard that you have betrayed me. Now, why is that?"

"I haven't betrayed you, my Lord." Snape replied, bowing his head.

Voldemort turned to look at Lucius. "Is that so, Lucius?"

"No my Lord." Lucius replied. "Severus has helped to keep Potter sane. A faithful Death Eater would only keep Potter alive for you to finish him off. But not sane."

"Good thinking, Lucius." Voldemort said. "You have earned yourself another prize."

"My Lord is most generous." Lucius said, taking another bow.

Voldemort turned his attention back to Snape and looked straight in his eyes. Snape did his best to block Voldemort from getting into his mind. He managed to conceal the part of his memory where it was related to him being a spy for the Order. He hoped that Voldemort won't sense it, but he was wrong.

"What do I see there?" Voldemort said. "Our own Severus Snape is hiding information from his Lord?"

"No, Master." Snape said, looking at the floor. "I would never hide anything from you."

"You know that you're a bad liar, Severus." Voldemort said. "Why is it that you had black spaces in your memory?" He took a step forward and stood in front of Snape. He lifted Snape's face to meet his eyes. "What information are you hiding from your Master, Severus?"

"I assure you, My Lord." Snape said with a shaky voice. "I am not hiding anything from you. I would never hide any valuable information from you."

Voldemort let go of Snape's face and stood back. "Well, we'll see about that." He took out his wand and pointed it at Snape.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled and red sparks emerged out of his wand and hit Snape straight in the chest.

Snape curled and screamed in pain, and fell off his chair. But that didn't stop Voldemort. He waved his wand and the curse stopped. Snape was breathing hard. His muscles aching because of the curse.

"Are you hiding any information from me, Severus?" Voldemort asked.

"No, Master." Snape replied through gritted teeth.

"LIAR!" Voldemort yelled. "CRUCIO!"

The curse hit Snape again and he screamed in agony. Voldemort started laughing loud enough to fill the room with his voice. Snape kept tossing and turning around, trying to ease the pain, although he perfectly knew that it was impossible.

"This is what you get for shutting your mind against me." Voldemort said.

A few minutes later, he waved his wand again and the curse stopped. Snape was shaking now and gasping for breath.

"Looks like our friend here needs a little.. motivation in order to talk." Voldemort said and turned to Harry, who was staring at Snape with a shocked look on his face.

While Voldemort was speaking, Snape opened his eyes and looked at Harry's eyes. 'Finally!' he said to himself.

"_Whatever he does, do not open your mind to him!"_ Harry heard a voice in his head. It was Snape's voice. _"Don't let him in! Remember your training!"_ Harry nodded slowly, and Snape took that as a 'yes'.

Voldemort turned his attention to Harry.

"Harry Potter, we meet again." Voldemort said with a sneer.

"What do you want, Riddle?" Harry asked; looking at the red slits in front of him.

He realized that was not a wise question to ask as soon as he saw Voldemort getting angry.

"There is no one by the name 'Riddle' in this room." Voldemort hissed and pressed the tip of his wand at Harry's scar, which started hurting more. Harry felt like his head was going to blow.

"Damn you, Riddle!" Harry said with gritted teeth. He decided he's not going to give in.

"I said there's NO RIDDLE IN HERE!" Voldemort yelled and pulled back. He pointed his wand at Harry and yelled: "CRUCIO!"

Harry screamed in pain. His body hasn't fully healed from last night's encounter with the Cruciatus Curse from Bellatrix. And this time, it was added to the pain he felt from his scar. Voldemort kept laughing and his followers joined him. He didn't lift the curse for a while, and instead, he turned to look at Snape.

"Now, Severus. Are you going to say what you were blocking from me?" He asked.

Snape was too shocked to answer. He kept looking at Harry with his mouth open from his spot on the floor.

"SNAPE!" Voldemort yelled, which made Snape turn to him. "Now that's better." He added. "Now, what are you hiding from me?"

"I have nothing to hide from you, Master!" Snape said, hardly managing to keep his voice low. He wanted to scream at the dark wizard in front of him, but he managed to keep his mouth shut, as to not cause any more damage than there was.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled again. His wand still aimed at Harry, who was shaking and screaming in pain.

"STOP IT!" Snape yelled. "Please stop it! You're hurting him!"

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Hurting him? Is this a soft spot I see in you, Severus?" He repeated his assault to Harry who was starting to lose consciousness. But Voldemort didn't stop. He sent another curse at Harry.

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!" Snape yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'll tell you what you want to know!"

Voldemort waved his wand and the curse stopped. Harry lay on the floor, unconscious, blood dripping from his nose and ears.

Voldemort walked to Snape's side. "Speak." He said.

"I.." Snape started and closed his eyes tightly. He had an idea but wasn't sure if it was convincing enough to trick Voldemort. But he decided that it's worth it. If it was going to save him and Harry, then all is good. If not, well, they were dead anyway.

"I do not have all day, Severus." Voldemort said. "I have a lot of people to kill, you know. So, speak!"

Snape pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at the floor as he spoke. "I blocked parts of my mind from you because I was ashamed."

Voldemort tilted his head to a side. "Ashamed?"

"Yes, my Lord." Snape said, managing to get a blush on his face. "It's a personal memory, my Lord. I seek your forgiveness."

Lucius looked at Snape with a raised eyebrow, while Voldemort's attention was fully directed to Snape.

"I.." Snape continued. "I.. am.." he took a deep breath. "I'm gay."

"You're what?" Lucius was shocked.

Voldemort laughed. "Gay? Severus Snape? Gay?" he said as he continued laughing. "My oh my. Our own Severus Snape is gay."

"I still don't see what that has to do with Potter." Came the voice of Bellatrix from the crowd. "He was so eager for the torture to stop!"

"Indeed he was." Voldemort said. "Well, Severus? What do you have to say about that?"

Snape took a deep breath. This was working. "Potter is.." he took another deep breath. "He's my lover."

"Whoa!" Bellatrix said. Everyone in the room gasped.

"What the hell are you playing at, Snape?" Lucius said, grabbing Snape's collar.

"I'm telling the truth." Snape said and looked at Voldemort's eyes. He sent him a visual message of when he was covering Harry's body last night in the cell with his robe, and when he held Harry in his arms trying to comfort him, and when Harry was holding him, trying to keep him warm.

"My, my." Voldemort said, obviously surprised by what he just saw. "And why have you kept this from me, Severus?"

"I was ashamed, my Lord." Snape said, looking down at the floor again. "I thought that if you knew, you'd take him from me. I couldn't let that happen."

"You know that he wants to kill me, don't you?" Voldemort asked.

"I would have never allowed it, my Lord!" Snape said, raising his head. "I would always do something to occupy him from going to his missions. And whenever he managed to sneak away, I used to modify his memory so he wouldn't tell any information to the Ministry!"

Voldemort turned to Lucius and gave him a questioning look.

"Potter has never managed to bring any information that was useful for the Ministry, my Lord." Lucius said.

"Interesting." Voldemort said. "I assume this happened last night. That doesn't prove anything."

Snape looked at the floor. "The other memories are more of a.. private sort, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed. "Very well, Severus. You are forgiven." Snape was about to start celebrating by his victory. "However," Snape's heart sank. This was not good. "Potter needs to be punished."

"I beg your mercy, my Lord." Snape said.

"You want me to show mercy to my mortal enemy?" Voldemort asked.

"No, my Lord." Snape replied. "I'm only asking you to let me have Potter back." He looked at Voldemort with pleading eyes. "I cannot survive without him."

Bellatrix let out a snort, which reached Voldemort's ears. He shot her a warning look, which made her hang her head down.

"Tell me, Severus." Voldemort said. "Are you in love with this boy?" he pointed at Harry's unconscious body, and Snape nodded, hesitantly.

"Well then, I wouldn't want to break a family of my follower. Even if a member of the family is my enemy." Voldemort said.

"But, my Lord.." Lucius said and was instantly shut up by Voldemort.

"I will hear none of it, Lucius." Voldemort said. "I will not break the union of this family. Now, untie them and send them home."

Snape let out a deep breath that he didn't even realize he was holding. Two Death Eaters started untying them, and Snape stood up and bowed to Voldemort.

"Thank you, my Lord." He said.

"Do not thank me now, Severus. Take your lover and go home." Voldemort said.

Snape picked up Harry and started walking to the door. But was stopped by Voldemort's voice.

"You might need these to get home." Voldemort said and threw two wands at Severus who only opened his hand and the wands rested in his palm as he had summoned them.

"Thank you, my Lord." He bowed again and left the room.

Voldemort turned to Lucius and whispered. "Kill Snape as soon as he reaches his house and bring Potter back to me. And I want Snape's head to be sent in a pink box to the Minister's office."

Lucius grinned. "I always knew my Master was wise."

Snape walked as fast as he could with Harry in his arms. He couldn't believe that his plan had worked. Now all he had to do is to go home. He walked out of the gates of Azkaban and stopped. Why did Voldemort let them go so easily? Sure he didn't believe the story about him and Harry. Or did he? Snape looked back and sighed. He needed to be careful. Voldemort might send his men after them. He needed to apparate to somewhere safe. Somewhere no one would never find them.

Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.


	5. Grimmauld Place

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 5 summary:** Snape and Harry arrive at their secret hideout and they get visitors.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

**

* * *

The Living Dead  
****Chapter V – Grimmauld Place**

Snape apparated in front of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place carrying Harry in his arms. As soon as the house appeared, he walked in and locked the door after him. He went upstairs and entered the room he knew to be Harry's and put him on the bed. He took Harry's glasses off and put them on the nightstand and then he took Harry's shoes off and stopped. He looked at Harry for a moment and realized that the boy was too young to be killed. His hatred for his former student was gone. All he had now was sympathy. He took out his wand and muttered a cleaning charm on Harry and then he flicked his wand and Harry's clothes changed into pyjamas.

Then Snape started muttering a healing charm on Harry and when he was done, he pulled the bed cover over Harry and tucked him carefully and when he was done, he left the room and headed to the living room.

He thought about going to his house, but he knew that if Voldemort was to send his followers after them, then he'd send them to his house first. They didn't know about Grimmauld Place, since after Dumbledore's death, Harry has volunteered to be the new secret keeper. That way no one would know where the house is, since Harry was not going to tell anyone, no matter how much torture he went through, and if Voldemort decided to use Legilimency, Harry was well prepared. He had mastered Occlumency by the end of his seventh year at Hogwarts.

Snape sat on one of the couches, and flinched as his back hurt. 'Damn the person who created the Cruciatus Curse' he thought to himself. He didn't even clean himself or change his clothes, and he drifted into sleep almost instantly in his seat.

* * *

An hour later, the door of Grimmauld Place burst open. Hermione and Ron came in and locked the door after them and started calling for Harry. When they heard no reply they started searching the rooms.

"I'll go upstairs." Said Ron and rushed up.

"I'll look here." Hermione replied and entered the kitchen. When she didn't find anyone there, she went to the living room. She saw Snape sleeping on the couch, his clothes dirty and torn in places. She gasped and put her hands on her mouth.

"Hermione!" Ron called from upstairs. "He's here!"

Hermione ran out of the living room and straight to Harry's room. They saw that Harry was asleep (or so they thought) but they were so concerned that they tried to wake him up.

"Harry?" Hermione said and gently shook Harry's shoulder. "Harry can you hear me?"

"Wake up, mate!" Ron said.

Harry groaned and opened his eyes. The room was bright, and blurry. Instinctively he reached for his glasses and found them on the nightstand. He put them on and saw that he was in his room and his best friends were with him. He sat up and looked at them, a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said in excitement and through herself on Harry, hugging him tightly.

Harry let out a sharp gasp, and pulled back.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, surprised by Harry's sudden action.

"Sorry, Hermione." Harry said. "I didn't mean to." He flinched. "My whole body hurts like hell. How long have I been here?"

"Obviously not long." Hermione said. "You've been gone since yesterday, and we were worried when you didn't show up in the evening."

"What happened, mate?" Ron asked. "Dad came home and said that Azkaban was in havoc."

"Havoc would never describe it." Harry said and laid back. His muscles were still sore and aching.

"What happened there, Harry?" Ron asked. "Were you hurt?"

"Snape!" Harry sat up again, causing his body hurt again. "Where's Snape?"

"Oh my God, I almost forgot about him." Hermione said and quickly got up. "He's downstairs in the living room. He's in bad shape."

The three of them went down to the living room and found Snape still asleep.

"Should we wake him up?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"I think we should." Ron replied.

"I wouldn't want to. We went through a lot this morning." Harry said, "But we have to take him upstairs to the guest-room."

"And I don't think he'd appreciate levitating." Hermione said.

Hermione stood next to Snape and gently shook him. "Professor?"

Snape groaned.

"Professor, wake up, please." She said.

Snape opened his eyes and looked at the three faces looking at him. He recognized Harry's face at first and quickly got on his feet.

"Potter, what are you doing out of bed!" He scowled at Harry.

"Me? How do you.. wait.. did you put me in bed?" Harry asked.

"Were you at Azkaban with someone else?" Snape snapped back. "Now get to your room, now!" he pointed at the door. His body betrayed him at that moment and he was about to lose balance. He sat down on the couch.

"Professor, you need to rest." Hermione said.

Snape hadn't noticed Ron and Hermione in the room because of his sudden care for Harry's well being. He looked at Hermione and then to Ron.

"How long have you been here?" he asked in a tired voice.

"We came a few minutes ago." Hermione said.

"The Ministry is looking for the both of you." Ron said.

"Death Eaters as well." Snape said and started massaging his temples. "Damn this headache."

"We'll help you, Sir." Harry said. "Hermione's good at healing charms."

Snape nodded and dropped his head back. "This was a nightmare."

"Professor, can you walk?" Hermione asked. "You need to lie down in a bed. You can't stay here. The couch will only make you hurt more."

Without protesting, Snape got up and Hermione took him by his elbow and walked him out and to the guest-room upstairs. Ron and Harry followed them.

When they were in the guest-room, Hermione left the room and let Harry and Ron help Snape get cleaned and change his clothes. When they were done, Ron called for Hermione to come in. She took out her wand and asked Snape to lie down on the bed. He obeyed.

She started a chorus of diagnosing and healing charms at which all three men were amazed. Hermione quickly finished her work and pulled the cover over Snape.

"Thank you, Miss Granger." Snape said.

"There's no need to thank me, Professor." Hermione replied with a blush.

"Sir, you need to rest." Harry said. "You've been through a lot."

"How did you get here?" Ron asked, bluntly.

"Ronald!" Hermione said. "This is not the time for questions! They need to rest!" she turned to Harry, "Harry, you must go to your room and lay down."

"I'll let you know of the details as soon as I have some rest." Snape said. "So much has happened, and you need to know." He looked at Harry, "Especially you, Potter."

Harry was puzzled. What happened that he can't remember? He was desperate to know how they managed to get out of Azkaban unharmed, but he couldn't remember anything. Finally, he nodded at Snape and walked out of the room accompanied with Ron and Hermione. They went to Harry's room where Harry lay back on the bed. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and Ron pulled a chair close and sat down.

"Can you tell us anything?" Ron asked.

"Ron, Harry needs to rest!" Hermione protested.

"No, it's alright, Hermione." Harry said. "I can tell you how it went and what happened. Bt not the whole story, since I can't seem to remember how we got here."

Ron and Hermione listened carefully at what Harry had to say and how his mission was almost a success if they didn't encounter the Death Eaters and the Dementors. Then he told them about Draco and how he was doing. Hermione gasped and tears fell on her cheeks as she listened to Harry. He also told them about the potion that Voldemort had prepared for his Death Eaters, and how they used Draco's blood to make it.

"That is horrible!" Hermione said. "We have to get him out of there!"

"Are you off your rockers, Hermione?" Ron asked. "He killed Dumbledore!"

"He didn't." Hermione said. "It was Snape, and you know it."

"But he was the reason that Snape did it!" Ron replied.

"That doesn't make him the one who said the curse!" She snapped.

"Stop it you two!" Harry said.

Ron and Hermione stopped arguing and glared at each other like they were going to hex one another into next week.

"Listen, we can't get Draco out of there. He's already damaged. I saw him! He didn't recognize us! He thought Snape was Dumbledore, and then thought he was his father! He didn't even notice me! I'm his enemy for Merlyn's sake! And he didn't even look at me!"

Rona and Hermione look at each other and then at Harry. They didn't know what to say. They apologized to each other and Hermione decided that Harry should get some sleep.

"We're not going to leave this place. We'll just be in the kitchen. Get some sleep and when you wake up, I'll have some food prepared."

Harry smiled and closed his eyes. Ron and Hermione left the room and headed to the kitchen as Harry drifted into sleep. He was exhausted.

Five hours passed and Snape woke up. He felt refreshed and comfortable. He looked around, wondering why his room had pink walls and then he remembered that he wasn't home at all. He sat up quickly and was about to get out of bed when he heard a soft knock.

"Come in." he said and sat on the edge of the bed.

Hermione opened the door and walked in. She smiled as she saw Snape awake.

"I see that you're feeling better." She said.

"Yes, thank you." He replied. "The spells you used were very helpful."

"I created them myself." She said, proudly.

"Impressive." He managed to smile at her, for the first time in his life.

"It's almost eight and dinner's ready. Would you care to join us?" she asked.

"Yes. I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to change my clothes." He said and got up.

Hermione nodded and went out of the room and into Harry's room. She found him awake and told him that dinner's ready. They went down to the kitchen, where Ron was and a few minutes later Snape joined them.

"Mmm, mashed potatoes." Harry said as he sniffed the air. "My favorite."

Hermione grinned. Snape only rolled his eyes and sat down at the table.

They started eating in silence. Ron and Harry shared a short conversation about a Scottish professional Quidditch team and how Ron has been invited to try out as a keeper. Although Harry has been listening to Ron's daily report of how excited he is to be invited to the tryouts for the last week, he never ceased to look amazed when his friend started talking.

Snape looked at the two of them exchanging theories and tactics about different positions in a quidditch team, but his main focus was on the dark haired young wizard. He needed to tell Harry what had happened while he was unconscious after getting hit by the Cruciatus Curse. Harry needed to know. He deserved to know. Snape owed him that. Even if Harry didn't like the reasoning that Snape gave to Voldemort in order to conceal the reason he blocked him from his mind.


	6. How did we survive?

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 6 summary:** Snape tells Harry how they got out of Azkaban, and when he's done they both find out something interesting about Ron and Hermione.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

**

* * *

The Living Dead  
****Chapter VI – How did we survive?**

Snape ate his dinner silently while the three friends kept talking and laughing. At one point Harry noticed the grim look on Snape's face but he was instantly distracted by Hermione's sudden gasp at one of Ron's un-polite jokes.

When they were finished, Hermione started cleaning the table and Snape got up to help her. Ron and Harry were still talking about Quidditch (Ron was telling Harry once again about how excited he is about his invitation).

"Sir, I can do this." Hermione said with a gentle smile. "You need to rest."

"It keeps me distracted." Snape said and put the dirty dishes in the sink.

"All right," Hermione said without arguing any further.

When they were done with the dishes, Hermione fixed some tea for the four of them and they sat at the table, remembering their days at Hogwarts and how each of them received their first letter.

"My uncle went mad." Harry said. "I was excited to get mail for the first time in my life, and he made sure I wouldn't read it. Thank goodness for Hagrid bringing me a letter with him."

"Potter," Snape said calmly, putting his teacup down.

Harry turned to him, "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Sure, what about?" Harry asked.

"In private, please." Snape looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Sure, no problem." Hermione said and got up. "Get up, Ron."

"No, no. You stary here. We'll go to the living room." Harry said and got up.

Hermione sat down and watched as Harry and Snape left the kitchen and headed to the living room.

"I wonder what are they going to talk about." Ron said in a whisper.

"Harry would tell us if he wants to." Hermione replied and took a sip of her tea.

* * *

Harry and Snape walked into the living room and as soon as Harry closed the door, Snape took out his wand and cast a silencing charm around the room.

"I don't want them to hear what I'm about to tell you, Potter." Snape said.

Harry nodded and motioned for Snape to sit down. When they were both seated, Snape took a deep breath and looked at Harry.

"Do you want to know how we got out of Azkaban?" Snape asked.

"I guess so." Harry said. "Does it matter? I mean.. we did get out after all."

Snape sighed. "While you were being hit by the Cruciatus, I.." he looked at the floor. "I.. got.. I.."

"Sir?" Harry was surprised by Snape's behavior. He had never seen his Potions teacher so nervous. "What happened? What did they do?"

Snape took another deep breath and looked into Harry's eyes. "I couldn't let him continue torturing you. But in the same time, I couldn't break my mask as a double spy."

When Harry didn't say anything, Snape continued.

"I panicked. And I told him that I'd show him what I was hiding from him in my mind."

"You did what!" Harry almost yelled.

"Let me finish, Potter." Snape said with a stern voice.

"Sorry."

"I didn't show him anything that would jeopardize the Order or the Ministry in any way." Snape continued, his face was starting to turn pink. "Instead, I showed them how we spent the night in that dark cell."

"I don't get it." Harry said, with obvious confusion showing on his face.

"I told him that I was gay, and that you were my lover, which is why I didn't want him to hurt you any longer."

Harry was now staring at Snape with his eyes wide open.

"I showed him how I was pulling covers on you when I first woke up in the cell, and when you were holding me trying to keep me warm, and.. when I was comforting you from your nightmares." He looked at Harry. "He asked me about the other blocked parts, which I still haven't shown him, and I told him that those were more.. intimate memories of us."

Harry wished the ground would split and swallow him that instant. He was shocked. He would have never thought that Snape would say or do such thing to save his life.

"And then I begged him to spare your life because, well.. I told him that I can't survive without you. And then he let us go. He said that he wouldn't break a family of his own followers and so he let us go. But I know for sure he sent Death Eaters after us, probably to my apartment first, to kill us both. So, the first place I thought of coming to, was here. No one knows the address, and I thought it'd be safer for you." When he was finished, he took a deep breath and looked at the floor again. "And I'd like to apologize for that."

Harry was still in shock, but he managed to shake his head. "No need to apologize, Sir. You had to do that to save our lives." Harry smiled. "I'm very grateful for that."

"I'd like to ask you not to tell anyone about this." Snape said, looking at Harry again. "Not even your friends."

"Don't worry, Sir." Harry said. "No one would find out."

Snape finally smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. You saved my life." Harry said. "Now, can we go back to the kitchen? Hermione would throw a fit if we stayed here any longer."

"Of course," Snape grinned. "Granger never changed."

The both got up and left the living room and headed to the kitchen.

Snape was the first to enter the kitchen door and he stopped, which made Harry bump into him.

"Ow!" Harry flinched and rubbed his forehead, which had hit Snape's shoulder. He peaked from above Snape's shoulder and saw Ron and Hermione kissing.

"'bout bloody time!" he yelled with a grin on his face.

Harry's voice made Ron and Hermione squeak and jump away from each other. Both blushing and looking everywhere but at Snape and Harry.

"Sorry to interrupt." Snape said coolly and pulled a chair at the table and sat down.

Harry followed Snape and took a seat next to him. "I demand an explanation." He said, trying his best to conceal his smile. "When did this start, and how, and who am I supposed to be blaming?"

Ron looked at Hermione, and then to Harry. He shrugged. "It just.. happened, mate."

"We've been dating for about a month now." Hermione said.

"A month!" Harry asked. "And none of you even bothered to tell me?"

"Maybe they didn't need you meddling in their business, Potter." Snape said with a grin.

"Yeah, that!" Ron said. "And we were waiting for the best time to tell you."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You were busy with the Ministry, and we didn't want to occupy your time." Hermione said.

"How.. thoughtful of you." Harry snorted. "Does Ginny know?"

Ron shook his head. "No one knows."

"Let's just hope that both of you would still have your heads on when she finds out." Harry grinned and got up to hug his friends. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

Hermione smiled and returned Harry's hug, so did Ron. Snape watched the three of them and a little smile showed on his lips. He was enjoying being among them. He wondered why he hadn't seen them as friendly as they are now back when they were students. Maybe because back then he was their teacher, and as a teacher his job was to sneer at every student and to hate them more than vampires hated the sunlight.


	7. Cursed

**Title:** The Living Dead  
**Rating:** PG13-R  
**Pairing:** SS/HP (and probably others in future chapters)  
**Genre:** Action/drama/angst/romance  
**Warnings:** Slash, violence, torture, death.  
**Chapter 7 summary:** Snape's not feeling well and Harry doesn't know why. He calls his friends for help.  
**Disclaimer:** HP characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing them for fun. Original characters are mine, though.

* * *

**The Living Dead  
****Chapter VII – Cursed**

Three days had passed since the day Snape told Harry about how they got out of Azkaban. He was confused, but tried his best to conceal it from his friends. Ron and Hermione kept visiting him a few times during the day, and they even did some shopping for him, since he wasn't allowed to get out of the house, because Death Eaters might be around.

Snape had locked himself in his room and got out only to go to the bathroom or to eat. He had stopped talking to Harry since the night before and Harry wanted to know the reason. He also wondered about what was Snape doing in the room, but the door was always warded. He tried to eavesdrop but found out that there was an anti-eavesdropping charm on the room. The wards and charms were lifted only when Snape left the room, and that's when Harry sneaked in, but even so, he couldn't find anything suspicious inside.

Inside his own world, Severus Snape was struggling from strange feelings. His muscles ached and he felt dizzy all the time. He kept himself lying in bed all day because he didn't want anyone to know that he was feeling sick. Someone in the back of his mind kept talking to him. He didn't recognize the voice, but it was a man's voice. He tried to ignore it, but it kept talking. It was in ancient Latin. He was supposed to know ancient Latin, but for some reason he couldn't understand what the voice was saying. He tried to shake it out of his mind, but he kept failing to do so. It's been almost a day since it started, and Snape was already becoming edgy and sensitive to every other sound he would hear.

Harry noticed the change in Snape's behavior. That night before going to bed, he tried to talk to him, but Snape didn't let him. He told him that he's tired and needed some sleep. Harry didn't believe it at first, but then he noticed how red Snape's eyes were. A sign of being awake the night before. Harry wanted to know why, he wanted to help, but Snape wouldn't let him.

When Snape finally returned to his room, Harry went to the kitchen and picked up the floo powder and threw it into the fireplace, and he put his head inside and called for the Burrow.

"Ron!" Harry called. "Ron are you there?"

Ron came running as soon as he heard Harry's voice. "Harry! What's wrong?" he knelt in front of the fireplace.

"It's Snape. He's not talking to me, and he won't leave his room unless to go to the bathroom or to eat. Something's wrong, Ron. And I think he hadn't slept since last night. His eyes are red." Harry said.

"He's still locking himself in his room, then?" Ron asked and Harry nodded.

"I don't know what to do." Harry said. "Something is not right, and I know it."

"But what can you do about it?" Ron asked. "He won't let you in."

"Maybe Hermione can convince him to open the door?" Harry asked.

"Probably. We'll be there first thing in the morning." Ron replied and yawned.

"Thanks, mate." Harry said. "You go to sleep now. I'll wait for you in the morning."

"All right." Ron said and got up after bidding Harry a good night. He went straight to his bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Harry took his head out of the fireplace and he sat at the kitchen table. Snape's sudden change in behavior didn't promise any good, and that made him think of one person who could be causing it: Voldemort.

Back in Azkaban, Voldemort was standing in front of a rectangular mirror, his wand held high and pointing at the mirror. He was chanting and moving his wand in circles at the length of the mirror. The mirror's surface was pulsating at each word he said. It was like the mirror was gaining life from the incantation. Voldemort was alone in the room and he had the door locked. He didn't want any of his followers to witness the curse he was casting.

The Death Eaters had failed to find Snape and Potter. They had magically disappeared as soon as they were back in London. And that was the main reason that Voldemort decided to use ancient dark magic. Mirror magic was the only way he could cast a strong curse that would reach its destination no matter how well hidden the target was.

And his first target was Severus Snape.

Ron and Hermione arrived at Grimmauld Place in the morning. Harry invited them into the kitchen for breakfast. Ron didn't reject the invitation, but Hermione went straight to Snape's room. She asked Harry and Ron to remain in the kitchen and not disturb her. She stood in front of the room door and knocked lightly. When there was no answer, she knocked again.

"Professor Snape?" she called, her voice a bit low. She wasn't sure if he was awake or not.

A click sounded from the door, which meant that the door was unlocked. She waited until the door was opened and Snape stood there, wearing a dark olive silk robe over black silk pajamas.

"May I come in, Sir?" she asked.

Snape nodded and went to lie down on his bed.

Hermione closed the door after she walked in, and then she conjured a chair for herself and sat next to the bed.

"Tell me what's wrong, Sir." She asked. "Harry said that you are keeping yourself locked in this room."

"I am thankful for your concern, Miss Granger." Snape said. "But there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm just tired and I need to rest."

Hermione rolled her eyes and took out her wand. She pointed it at Snape's chest and muttered something that Snape couldn't hear because of the voice talking in his head. He just closed his eyes and sighed.

The tip of Hermione's wand glowed in orange. She gasped and quickly pulled her wand away. Feeling the sudden movement, Snape opened his eyes and saw the look of panic on Hermione face. He sat up and stared at her.

"What did you find out, Miss Granger?" he asked.

"You're under a spell." She said.

"A spell?"

"The wand glowed in orange." She said, pointing it at his chest again and saying the same incantation she used a moment ago. The tip of her wand glowed in orange again.

Snape sighed again and lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. "I hear a voice." He said.

Hermione adjusted herself in her seat and had a look of concern on her face, which also meant that she was memorizing everything that Snape was saying so she would start her own research of the subject.

"He keeps talking to me all day. I can't make him stop." Snape said. "He stops talking at midnight, and then my whole body starts hurting. I can't sleep at nights, I feel like something's missing and I couldn't go to sleep without it."

Hermione conjured a quill and a parchment and started taking notes as she continued to listen carefully.

"Then in the mornings I start feeling dizzy and the voice returns. He's talking right now, and there's nothing I can do about it." He put his palms at his temples and squeezed. "If I could only make it stop."

Hermione gently put her hand on one of his hands and he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"We'll help you, Sir. Ron, Harry and I will do our best to help you." She said and smiled at him.

Snape smiled back at her and let his hands drop by his sides. He wanted nothing more that to stop the voice in his head.

Hermione got up and left the room. She closed the door after her and went to the kitchen.

"So?" Harry asked as soon as he noticed Hermione entering the kitchen. "Did he tell you what's wrong?"

"He's under some sort of spell." She said. "We need to help him."

"I say we leave the git to solve his problems on his own." Ron said, which earned him a death glare from Hermione.

"We have to help him." Harry said. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today."

"Good point." Ron said. Harry had told him and Hermione everything that Snape had told him about how they got out of Azkaban, but he made them promise him that they won't tell anyone about it, and they wouldn't even mention it in front of Snape.

"We need books." Hermione said.

"I say we go to Hogwarts." Ron said. "It has the biggest library after all."

"And since we're not students anymore, I'm sure Professor McGonagall would allow us to search in the Restricted Section as well." Harry said.

"Aren't we supposed to ask Madam Pince?" Ron asked.

"No. We need permission from the Headmistress first. And not being students anymore might be enough reason for her to reject our request to enter the library at all." Hermione said.

"She won't do that. She's a member of the Order!" Ron said.

"Still, she might say no because we're researching for Snape." Hermione said.

"Bullocks." Harry said. "Let's go there now."

"Let me cast an invisibility charm on you first." Hermione said. "We don't want you to be seen, yet."

Harry nodded and Hermione took her wand out and cast an invisibility charm on him. When they were ready, they apparated to Hogsmeade and walked to Hogwarts.


End file.
